The Morning After
by 5DancingDorks
Summary: April and Donatello enjoy the morning after The Shredder's defeat. Takes place about 3 years in the future.


The ruckus out in the living room woke her up. It was the usual ruckus one learned to expect in a house full of young boys, but it didn't make it any more "fun". They were 18 now. You'd think they'd be more considerate of others' sleeping schedules. But she supposed you couldn't change everything about people.

Using all the strength she could muster, April slowly opened her eyes. The room was blurry, but as it cleared, she realized she wasn't in the dojo resting in a sleeping bag as she usually did when spending the night with the turtles. The walls of this room were hidden by huge stacks of books and documents. Here or there were wires and computer chips and miscellaneous tools. A poster with the table of elements was pasted on the ceiling, just next to a sewer grate that provided the morning light and the faintest sound of zooming cars in the distance. She was, at first, beyond confused. But as her mind cleared, and she caught the sound of gentle breaths beside her, the memories of the previous night came flooding back and she could not resist the smirk that her lips curled into.

April rolled over lazily to face the slumbering mutant turtle next to her. Donatello was curled up in a ball, knees to chest and arms close to his body. Every now and again, he'd mumble some word she couldn't make out, and his face or fingers would twitch, but he was deeply asleep without a doubt. She supposed nearly 20 years of living with his brothers helped train him to be able to sleep through the shouting and fighting and gaming that was involved in all their Saturday morning routines.

She looked up to the clock that hung over the ripped up mattress and down comforters that made up his bed. 9:30 A.M., exactly. Carefully so as not to wake him, she got up out of bed, stretched, and grabbed her lounge pants and t-shirt from the night before.

As she tied her hair back into a loose ponytail, she thought about the previous night. They had all stood before Shredder and what remained of his army of alien brains and highly trained ninjas. The showdown had taken place on the top floor of the TCRI building. More and more soldiers kept coming at them. And just as everything began to look bleak, Leonardo sent a finishing blow to the Shredder, sending the old lunatic out the window and down to the streets below. His army, shocked and without a leader, fled the building. Deep down, none of them believed the fight was truly over. But they relished in this victory nonetheless. When they returned home, Splinter headed straight to his room to meditate on these events. But the turtles, Casey, and herself?

They fought more than 3 years for this victory, and by God, they deserved a party. But at some point, lost in the excitement and the dancing and stolen booze (courtesy of Casey Jones), Donnie had taken April aside to confess his feelings at last. And April couldn't deny her emotions any longer. So, beer mixed with romance and a sense of victory, and this lead them to his bedroom. As if the night wasn't already unforgettable.

Her hand was on the doorknob, but she looked back at him. Still curled up, lost in the warmth of his blankets and whatever it was he dreamt about. She grinned, turned the knob, and stepped into the lair.

Instantly, she felt four pairs of eyes lock onto her. She reached the living room to find Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Casey all staring up at the redhead. There was a silence. Then, after what felt like an eternity, there was a snicker, and finally, a guffaw from every one of them. Mikey, who had been playing his favorite game, dropped the controller and fell to the floor, holding his belly which had begun to ache from the laughter. Soon, the rest of the boys followed suit.

April rolled her eyes and continued towards the kitchen. She was much too tired for any sort of witty remark to make regarding their immaturity. The girl stifled a yawn as she reached for the instant coffee on the top shelf of the cupboard. She boiled some water and filled two chipped mugs to the brim with the caffeinated beverage. She mixed some milk and sugar into each and balanced them perfectly as she headed back towards the bedroom, all without spilling a drop and all without any more trouble from the boys.

Holding the mugs with one hand, she opened and shut the door. Immediately, Donatello's eyes shot open, and found the coffee in the girl's hand. He reached out an arm and wiggled his fingers. "Gimme," he mumbled, the words muffled by the pillow half his face was practically buried into. April chuckled, and handed one to him. He slowly sat up, and after taking a long gulp of the steaming drink, he held it in his lap and smiled groggily up at April. "Good morning," he said at last.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she replied. She took a sip, savoring the bittersweet taste of her coffee and the almost dry feeling it left behind.

The two sat together in a comfortable silence, enjoying their coffee until it was all gone then setting the empty cups on the floor. They both leaned against the wall, staring off into the room as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. The clock ticked away. 9:47, it now read.

"April?" he asked, deciding to break the silence.

"Yeah?" She turned to him.

"Did…" He paused, hoping to find better words. Alas, he failed. Back to Plan A. "…Did you enjoy last night?"

April tried everything she could not to laugh, but she simply couldn't help herself. All these years, and he was still a complete _dork. _Donnie panicked for just a moment before her icy blue eyes met his. "Of course I did," she beamed. "I love any time I get to spend with you, Don," His heart skipped a beat. Or maybe more. Yet the anxiety didn't subside quite yet.

"Well, uh… Thank you, I guess, but… What I meant is, um…" _'Wow, this is hard to say.' _"Did I… Was _I _okay? Because, I mean… I honestly had _no _idea what I was doing and-" She pressed two digits to his rambling lips and gazed into him, dead serious.

"Donatello." Her voice was honest. _"I love any time I get to spend with you," _

She relaxed again, as did he. "And for the record," she chuckled, "You weren't half bad."

He blushed deeply, despite his relief. "Well… Um, y-you were pretty good, too." He stared down at his nervous, shaking hands. "You're… You're very beautiful, April." Heat rose to her cheeks. She didn't really know what to say. The comfortable silence returned to them briefly.

Donatello decided to lay back down on his shell and stare up to the grate. April did the same.

"So… if you don't mind me asking… Are… Are we a thing now?" Donnie asked, refusing to make eye contact.

April rolled over onto her side and nuzzled his neck, sending shivers through his body. "If you don't mind," she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her, and her legs wrapped around his, and they stayed there until noon, basking in the glow the other's company provided.


End file.
